RONO HILLS, Sep 4: A three-day national seminar on ‘Women and employment in India’, organized by the Centre for Development Studies, Department of Economics, Rajiv Gandhi University in collaboration with the Centre for Gender Studies, Institute for Human Development, New Delhi, commenced at the RGU premises here today.
Chairing the inaugural session, RGU Vice Chancellor Prof Saket Kushwaha emphasized the significant influence of cultural norms and attitudes on women’s employment. Expressing satisfaction over the collaboration between the Institute for Human Development, New Delhi and the Centre for Development Studies, RGU, he hoped that more collaborative research would be done in the future.
While advocating that, contribution of women should not be calculated merely on linear proportions of works they perform in offices daily; rather it should be calculated covering all other daily chores they do for up keeping their families, homes and society as a whole, he argued for comprehensive policies to increase women’s access to better jobs in the organized sectors.
In his address, Prof Dhananjay Singh, Member Secretary, Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), urged the researchers to investigate aspects beyond the visible work that women are engaged in and said that the society should also consider the other roles women play in their households. He went on to add that the ICSSR is encouraging research on gender issues, including women’s work.
Director of the Institute for Human Development, New Delhi, Prof Alakh N Sharma along with Prof Balwant Mehta presented the seminar background paper on ‘Women’s Employment in India: Emerging Issues, Challenges, and Opportunities’.
Prof Sharma stated that significantly increasing women’s labour force participation is critical. He added that the recent increase in women's participation has been primarily in agriculture and self-employment, with a large share of unpaid family workers. Despite primarily focusing on subsistence activities, the rise in worker participation is a positive development. He emphasized that India needs to have an integrated pro-active policy for women's work, which should include increasing the quality of employment and creating more employment opportunities for educated women.
RGU Registrar Dr N T Rikam stated that adequate recognition and inclusion of women's work is necessary. Society does not recognize the tireless work that women in rural areas of Arunachal Pradesh do both within and outside the home. He expected that the conference's deliberations and proceedings would help to formulate more effective policies.
Prof Aasha Kapur Mehta, Chairperson, Centre for Gender Studies, IHD, New Delhi & Seminar Coordinator, Prof Elizabeth Hangsing, Dean In-charge, Faculty of Social Sciences, RGU, Prof Vandana Upadhyay, Coordinator, Centre for Development Studies, RGU, and Seminar Coordinator, Priyanka Tyagi, CEO, IHD, New Delhi, also spoke.
The seminar brought together 35 leading experts in the field from prominent institutions across the country, including the host RGU, JNU, Ambedkar University, Jadavpur University, Calcutta University, IHD, Punjabi University, NCERT, Mysuru, TISS Mumbai, University of Hyderabad, Jindal Global University, Mumbai University, Allahabad University, and Ahmedabad University, among others, as well as an impressive number of young researchers from colleges across Arunachal Pradesh.